leicsmac

Of course if Vodafone, Starbucks et al paid their way while continuing to do business in this country a lot of families, middle-class or otherwise, would be able to pay less tax.

Or have improved public services - provided terminal bureaucracy didn't get in the way of that, of course.

I was a student So I had a student loan to live on, the money I had saved up from work before University, plus my parents supported me through university, so it was more then enough. I plan on doing my teaching course next year, but rather then rush into it I thought I'd take a year out of the education system, get a job and see what the world of work was actually like. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the best idea...

You still get paid to do a PGCE, but it's pretty strictly dependent on the subject you're going to teach. Science and Maths gets a much bigger bursary than other subjects.

If you're into teaching, have you considered teaching English abroad for a year or two? I did two years in South Korea, and it was amazing. It'd look good on your CV and normally you can save a fair amount of wonga because the cost of living is cheaper there.

And to keep this on topic...

Busy day - the lecturers here aren't fvcking us about.

Most of us are coming from different backgrounds onto this course, and so they're needing to get everyone on the same page as far as the various aspects of space and engineering go.

Some of my course mates that have studied some of the stuff we're doing now before say we're taking two weeks to cover topics that took them 3 months first time around (to the same depth). Funky shit.

But I'm loving actually having to engage my brain and think about this stuff a lot. The job I had teaching in Korea was brilliant, but it was pretty samey and it was really easy to get bored in your job. This is entirely different.

Nice.

Good choice of employment area because space is constantly expanding.

It'll definitely be worth all the work, it's an amazing opportunity if you can get it. My brother-in-law is going to Langley to work at NASA's research centre next summer.

Yeah, there's some great opportunities about. The commercial space industry here and abroad seems to be one of the few areas that the recession hasn't utterly savaged (fvcking coke snorting silk shirt wearing...and so on) because comms companies and the like are always going to need stuff putting up there and new designs.

What are you studying?

Astronautics and Space Engineering at Cranfield University. Hoping to find work in the space industry once it's all done - this uni has good ties with the industry.

Going to be an interesting year.

Getting well into my Masters course...but by God the lecture I've just had made no fvcking sense at all. The lecturer is well-meaning and clearly knows his stuff but doesn't really know how to communicate a complex topic in a way that's even vaguely easy to understand.

Still, I've got the notes and it's not an assessed module so I can look at it any time. And most of the lecturers are pretty good at explaining things.

Moral fvcking absolutism.

There is more than one side to an argument, you fvcking moron.

Ireland. Which is probably why FoxyPV mentioned it.

Oh wait... you said first world country.

Well, from what I can tell it's outlawed there (except in specific cases) and it doesn't look like the law is going to change any time soon. And (I might be wrong here) there isn't nearly as much political posturing and polarisation on the subject there as in the US...

People should be able to choose whether or not to have a baby, but not to choose whether or not they think they should be able to choose to have a baby or not... I think that is irony...

Of course they should be free to hold those views. As with most other issues, it's when they then start pressing those views on others that the problems arise....along with the murdered doctors and blown-up hospitals.

I still find it intriguing that the US is the only first-world country where this is such a sensitive political issue...I'm actually not really that sure why?

Probably right, if I was of a far right persuasion I'd dumb it down these days to look more centerist, look at people like out and proud hardliners like Nick Griffin, came out 8-9 years ago and said under age white girls were being targeted by muslims and he was dubbed a bigot, liar and the Labour party tried to throw him in prison for it, fortunately he was found not guilty by a jury or I dread to think what sort of lawsuit the CPS would be facing given it's came out as the truth.

Right-wing is almost seen as dirty on these boards, times i've seen the term "right wing disabled" or something similar used is bizarre, no idea when it happened but some point in the last 5-6 the left seemed to stop talking politics and instead just started slandering everything on the other side, knew probably the posters boys of the left around the time had started bankrupting the country.

If you go to USA, Italy or Spain etc and say you can't stand multi-culturalism and think you would be better off without it's generally a normal political opinion, certianly nothing outrageous, say it here and you'll be tarred as a BNP Voter, EDL marcher, bigot, fascist, black shirt and someone who wants the the Third Reich back.

It's got a ridiculous point, it's shame some Liberals arent' so "tolerant" when it comes to other peoples political views.

Certainly agree with you on free speech...Griffin should have the right to say what he wants to say through a platform.

Of course, by the same principle other people then have the right to call him whatever they want because of it.

Also, from what I can tell political slurs (on this board and out in the world) are not unidirectional. For every BNP bigot knuckle-dragging fascist you have a Socialist tree-hugging workshy person-who-doesn't-live-in-the-REAL-world.

It's the absolutism on both sides that gets to me...people believing that a particular issue is utterly black and white and being totally reviled by any idea of compromise.

Private healthcare should be available to those who can afford it.

But there should also be free-at-point-of-service, reasonable standard healthcare to those who can't.

Hang on...isn't this exactly the case in this country already?

As I've said before, money doesn't mean much when you're dead, and you shouldn't have to put a price on saving a life or stopping suffering.

I'd rather it be paid for through taxes than be loaded with a massive bill if and when I was unlucky enough to get ill or injured...when that happens the last thing you want to be worrying about is how much your treatment will cost.

Healthcare and being cared for when sick or injured shouldn't be a luxury that has to be paid for. I think the NHS does a pretty decent job.

How is it dangerous?

It's not, as what he suggested would never get passed as legislation as it wouldn't have enough support. I hope.

It would however be dangerous if enough people in the Government thought the same way.

I'm just thankful that (by and large) people in the UK are far more reasonable on this issue than some of the nutjobs across the pond.

Jeremy Hunt has a right to his opinion. Abortion is a conscience issue not a political one.

Not in this country, anyway. The US seems to be the only place where it is.

That said, I would say a womans right to choose about what happens to her own body is probably a political issue.

I wouldnt call Brunel a puff

Would be a decent job, something youve built will stand strong for hundreds of years, they generally get alot of respect from the top levels for their works too. Something made from your mind will be remembered for centuries after you where gone, fxxk a gravestone

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Your own private commercial jet for one flight. Awesome.

Oops mum.

TBF that kid will have the best excuse for making his girlfriend pregnant ever.

"Your fault, mum..."

I think it should be Wiggins, purely based on the fact that Murray will have more years and opportunities like this, and Wiggins will not.

In fact I reckon Murray, now he's won his first, will win at least one more Slam next year. That should be the SPOTY in the bag for him in 2013...so let Wiggins have it this year. Don't really think anyone else is in the frame to win it.

Well, that was me told..

But Murray's moved up so much since winning at the Olympics. Did anyone EVER imagine he would have destroyed both Djokovic AND Federer in straight sets? Those wins built up reserves of confidence and self-belief he never showed previously.

And he certainly needed to make full use of those last night, against an opponent who has so often been his nemesis in previous grand slam events. Djokovic wasn't always at his best during the marathon contest, but his fighting spirit would probably have been enough to see him home against any other player (Federer and a fit Nadal included).

Yet Murray managed to hold his nerve and secure his first major title. There is every prospect that more will follow, especially at Wimbledon.

In the meantime, he must have taken over from Bradley Wiggins as favourite for Sports Personality of 2012. Maybe only an F1 title win for Lewis Hamilton can challenge him now.

I still reckon Wiggo will win it, but in any other year at all - any other year - Murray would walk it.

Can't we just give a communal SPOTY award to a lot of people this year? It's been so fantastic...

Gutted

Well...there's always Tomic...

He better win another one and celebrate it like he's actually won a slam, not just walk around looking sad. Where's the Djoko-esque shirt rip, roar and dive into the crowd? Come on Andy, you've won it!

I think he's actually numb. To go after something and get so close to it for so long...when you actually get it, you don't know what to do with yourself.

But he'll get more.

What a match. 5th time lucky.

Finally, the 76 year wait is over.

Come on Andy - here we go!

Shit...drops the service game. Get another break Andy!

Double break. Needs the next hold here.

Needs to back it up with a hold.